AS Vendée Globe leader Michel Desjoyeaux hurtles across the finish line in Les Sables D’Olonne this weekend, Hampshire ocean racer Dee Caffari will be popping champagne corks in celebration of her return to the North Atlantic.

Caffari, about 2,600 miles behind the Frenchman, known as the Professor, is aiming to be in the North Atlantic when he crosses the finish line.

At her current speed, the 36-year-old from Titchfield will cross the equator just as Desjoyeaux takes his second Vendee Globe title in nine years.

Last night lying in seventh place, around 3,800 miles from the finish of the 24,000-mile race, she said: “It would be nice to be in the same ocean as Foncia when Mich finishes.

“Hopefully I will be there at the weekend unless something disastrous happens between now and then but things are looking pretty good.

“Mich has sailed an awesome race especially since this is one of the toughest Vendées ever.

“It has been fascinating to watch and is a fantastic achievement but then he is very experienced and very good at what he does.

“It seems like the sun has shone on him and he has been very lucky but he will have had plenty of problems.

“There are some things you don’t mind talking about and others that don’t need to be shared and I’m sure it will be all revealed when he gets back.

“We’ve all learned a lot from him but I’m really chuffed that having been racing Open 60s for just 18 months, I am still in the race and managing to get my new boat around the world.”

Caffari’s race was thrown into jeopardy when her mainsail started delaminating as she entered the Southern Ocean.

She was forced to repair it by painting it with epoxy resin.

She added: “I worked really hard on trying to repair it and it took a long time so I was gutted when I saw it flapping around but I am just going to have to take it down again when I get to the Doldrums and make more repairs.”

Sam Davies from Hamble was last night holding onto fourth position with Lymington’s Brian Thompson 300 miles behind in sixth.